Paramedic who 'told patient to calm down' to face competency hearing

The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) is set to review the actions of Karl Richards, in relation to three patients when he was employed by West Midlands Ambulance Service.

On 19 January 2014, he was alleged to have told a patient suffering a nosebleed to 'calm down' claiming it might make the bleeding stop.

It was then deemed Mr Richards acted 'beyond the scope of his practice' by placing a folded gauze - a thin medical fabric - into the person's nostril only to remove and replace it up to seven times.

He is also accused of failing to immobilise them for nearly two hours, despite the fact their nose was continuing to bleed.

The patient said the paramedic made them walk 131 feet to the ambulance in their bed socks, did not offer them a wheelchair and then drove them to the hospital without ensuring they had a seatbelt on.

Mr Richards has also been called into question over his treatment of another person, suffering chest and back pain, just five days later on January 24 of that year.

It is alleged he asked the man to move to another room without carrying out a physical examination first and responded to their request to go to hospital by saying 'we are not a taxi service.'

He is accused of leaving without reconciling or attempting to defuse the situation with the patient, or advising them or their family members about what to do if his condition deteriorated.

Then on February 24, 2014 the paramedic is said to have left another patient at home when he should have taken them to hospital.

A HCPC conduct and competence committee will start reviewing the case on September 9. The hearing, set to last all week, will take place in London.

If the panel deem a sanction is necessary they will have a range of options including suspending Mr Richards from practising or striking him off the register altogether.